Emic ethnographic encounters: Researching elderly female household heads’ experience with climate change in rural Zimbabwe

In this article, I discuss the experiences of conducting ethnographic research in my village of origin in Zimbabwe. The issues I discuss in this article are the methodological approach, the deconstruction of prior assumptions, challenges in meeting respondents, positionality and grappling with multiple identities in the field, the unintended therapeutic effect of life histories, learning the art of patience in fieldwork, reciprocity, friendship and the challenge of spontaneity. This discussion is important in the debates on the challenges of conducting emic ethnographic research, reflexivity and positionality. The article therefore makes a significant contribution to the body of knowledge focusing on the dynamics of carrying out ethnographic research in one’s cultural backyard.